NOTES FROM AN OAMARU GARDEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20290, 24 December 1927, Page 3

NOTES FROM AN OAMARU GARDEN.

On a half-constructed rock-garden a few interesting things have flowered this spring. But alpines, perhaps more than other plants, depend upon the gardener's care to help them to look their best, and where the ground is rough and none too clean around them they hardly seem to deserve the good things said of them. Three dwarf rhododendrons are among the new things—R. impeditum, a deep purple; R. racomosum, pink; and R. hippophaeoidos, a less pleasing shade, similar to that of the old R. pontimum. All these, though only •'bout 6in high, were quit© covered with flowers. Potontilla fruticosa is the shrubbery species of this well-known genus, and is particularly suitable for the rock-garden, being of moderate size, free-flowering, and of a light and airy habit. Kernera saxatilis (the genus presumably named after Kerner von Marilaun, the author of the finest amateurs’ botanical work ever written) is a plant worth growing for its form and its attractiveness both in flower and foliage, if not in colour. Among species of Dianthus the best we have is D. Roysii, a variety of D. neglectus. It resembles D. alpinus, except that the flowers are of a pure self-colour and are borne upon longer stems. I hope I am right with the name, for this genus is confusing. The foliage and flower alike lead to error by their similarity. Thirty different species of dianthuses are being grown from seed in this garden, and if an enemy by'night were to play “ general post ” with the tallies it would bo quite hopeless to rename the plants by their foliage. Among primulas the best so far have been varieties ojf P. Edina, whoso flowers vary in colour from yellow, through orange, brick, and deep salmon to crimson; P. chionantha, with flowers of flat white and lovely whitish-green foliage, covered underneath with yellow farina; P. Sikkimensis, the yellow Himalayan cowslip; and the dwarf P. Wanda. Primula Yeitchii would not bo tolerated here but for its fine foliage; the flowers are too aggressively magenta to a. good neighbour _ to any other of a pink or red shade within many feet of where it grows. By chance it was planted not far from Phlox vivid and a deep crimson saxifrage which we have named Oamaru seedling, and as they all flowered together the result was rather appalling. A gardeqer of our acquaintance has given up growing red flowers altogether owing to the extreme difficulty in avoiding the clashing of colours. Rose and peony, gerbera and pyrothrum, rockrose and ice-plant, anemone and rose, are a few more instances of inharmonious combinations which in a small garden it is almost impossible to avoid. Onosma tauricum, or golden-drop, is one of the best rock-plants we have for leaf, flower, and habit. Onosma albo-rosea is a later introduction, but the flowers are inconspicuous, and it is only for the silvery foliage that the plant has garden value Another species flowering for the first time is Phlox canadensis, Perry’s variety. The habit is light and graceful and the flowers of a pale lilac colour—quite good. '-Tone maritima, Qore pleno, just gets into the rock-garden with a temporary permit. There is too much of the Allwoodii dianthus about it for a genuine alpine—too wellfavoured for tho air of mountain tops. Lychnis alpinuß is a weed, though T came to us in better company. The com mon lychnis of tho woods is Incomparably a better piant. Crepis incana a silveryleaved species with a pink dandelion flower It is pretty and dainty, but needs frequent division, a s it has a tendency to grow a little bit rank if not broken up. Two perfectly satisfactory species are the two armerias, A. cophalotcs and A caespitosa The former is about 9in high, a giant thrift with flowers of a pleasing shade; tho latter is a miniature with tiny nccdle-liko leaves which become quite smothered m. ;r almost sessile pink flowers. Cynoglossum nervosum is robust enough to be a front row plant in the open border. Like those of the other Alkanots the flowers art true blue set off by foliage of a dark shade. Iris pavonia, or peacock iris, has flowered well. Each petal bears in the centre a spot of colour resembling that in _ the feather of a peacock’s tail. This in’s is often described as evanescent, but the flowers are less ?o than those of many other irises Iris Iloogiana has never bloomed here, though I have had it for over four years. Calceolaria Mexicana is a little annual with pal© lemon-coloured flowers, something like those of C. amplexicaulis. A curious plant suggestive of a miniature cabbage tree, is Aciphylla Spedoni: a very distinguished native allied to the common

Spaniard. Aciphylla pinnatifida has quite a different habit, having broad much divided leaves of a light green colour and increasing—unlike any other aciphylla—by stolons.

The few silvery saxifrages we have are flowering well. S. hostii is covered with it® tall white panicles, and S. pyramidalis has an inflorescence about 30in high. Dracocephalum Isabellas is a good plant for either rock-garden or open border. r I he foliage is dark green, the labiate corolla a deep purple, set in calyces of purplish green. It is closely allied to Nepeta. Many seedling Helianthemums are growing on a bank, pink, crimson, tangerine, bronze, yellow, and white. The seed came from the garden of the late Mr Nicoi, of Scotland, who sent many named sorts to Wisley and received awards of merit. There is no more delightful flower for a dry, s iy bank than these sun-roses.

Behind a border of Nepeta, a bush ot Thermopsis montana is spreading by underground mnners. The flowers are of the leguminous type and the colour ot laburnum. Near at hand Echium oallithyrsum is covered with large thimbleshaped inflorescences of the colour, blue and red, so common among boragineous species. Another Echium is coming into flower. It has the appearance of a biennial, forming one immense rosette from which probably, had it not been nipped by frost, a tall inflorescence would have emerged. Instead, we ar 0 having a Laj'ge number of small spikes arising out of the axils of the leaves The latter are thickly covered with whitish hair. Perhaps some reader may be able to suggest the name of the species. Many beautiful aquilegia hybrids are flowering on the bank, but the aristocrat of the lot is A. glandulosa. It is dwarf and the flowers are of the most beautiful shade of blue imaginable. Wo plan to have many more of it in future. It is said to bo difficult to transplant when it is over an inch or two in height. If that is so it would be well worth the trouble to rear a dozen or two in pots for a small drift of them would be superb. Viburnum tomentosum plicatum is a good form of this popular plant. A little bush only a few feet across has been covered with large balls of creamy white flowers. A now cantua, planted in the autumn, with some hesitation, turns out quite well, though it is not so good as the old red variety. The tube is yellow, running into pink, and the remainder of the corolla is cream. It has a certain attractiveness and is to remain. Clianthus punicous roseus, is the pink kaka-beak. The new form is said to have been discovered at Wairoa. It has served the purpose of supplying a “ novelty,” but otherwise is of only moderate value. Melaleuca ericifolia is the common swamp tea-treo of Australia, an ally of our own manuka. The flower, however, resembles more its other ally, the bottle-brush, which is also one of the myrtacaea.

Two new kniphofias are flowering. They are both dwarf and might effectively bo used in or near the rock-garden. One K. goldolse, is yellow ; tho other, K. corallina, coral-scarlet in colour. Gcrbera perfecta is described in tho catalogues as being a variety almost twice the size of G. Jamesonii. The colour is very rich, but in Oamaru it has not developed to more than the size of tho species. Among irises now at their best and flowering unusually well there are four newcomers—l. Dream, sometimes described as a pink pallida, the colour being a delicate lilao pink, the flowers of medium size; I. Neptune, a tall branching variety, with largo flowers of violet-blue and purple-blue; I. Edouard Michel, a very fine flower, selfcoloured a brilliant red-violet, and Lohengrin, with largo flowers of rich Cattleya rose. F. C.